10 years with OKbase: Carborundum shares its experience

Carborundum Electrite a. s., an international manufacturing company from Benátky nad Jizerou with a long-standing tradition, was looking for an efficient HR solution to manage the agenda of its 400 employees. They found it in OKbase.

The specific challenges of a manufacturing environment pose a significant challenge for HR systems. At Carborundum Electrite, these include diverse employment types (permanent employees, temporary workers, and prisoners), the need for complex productivity calculations that impact payroll processing, and the ability to perform detailed shift planning (ranging from single-shift to continuous operations).

What experience does Carborundum have with over 10 years of using the OKbase HR solution?

"We were one of the first manufacturing companies where OKbase was implemented. Until then, the system had been designed more for office environments. At the beginning, we faced many specific challenges and complications arising from our operations, but now we have everything set up just as we need it," says Vladimír Slušný, IT Coordinator.

Thanks to this collaboration, OKbase has gradually developed a number of new functionalities tailored specifically for manufacturing companies. These tools are now a standard part of the system for new customers.

„The initial situation was not easy: we were using several DOS-based systems for HR management, and we also had to comply with strict security protocols. Our parent company in Austria manages a total of 12 companies worldwide, and software security measures are set uniformly and very strictly for all units."

How has the system adapted to the conditions of a manufacturing company based on your experience?

„OKbase has proven to be a flexible tool that successfully adapted to the specific requirements of our company. We appreciate having everything in one place – recruitment, HR management, attendance, payroll, user forms, and catering. We use most of the OKbase modules, from system administration to business trips. Many of our processes are now automated on a daily or monthly basis.“

 

Which OKbase benefits are essential for you?

• Managing multiple organizations within one system
  „We manage two organizations (the manufacturing Carborundum and the commercial Tyrolit), and we can filter data for either one or work directly under the entire holding.“
  
  
• Coverage of specific working conditions
  „We have various types of employment relationships. White-collar employees work a single shift, while production operates on two-shift, three-shift, and continuous schedules. In addition to permanent employees, we also employ temporary workers, agency staff, and even prisoners, each with specific conditions.“
  
  
• Easily obtaining data for complex payroll calculations
  Another specific aspect at Carborundum is worker rotation and recalculating their efficiency across different departments. Bonuses depend on the overall productivity of the department, meaning an individual’s salary and their monthly or quarterly bonuses are affected by the entire team. "If a department’s productivity drops, we need to respond by working with the work record module. An individual’s salary is also influenced by other factors – whether they are in training, have completed any courses, are supervising someone, and so on. Our payroll and bonus calculation system is quite complex, running on both a monthly and quarterly basis. Thanks to the custom reports in OKbase, we have a perfect overview." 
  
  
• System flexibility
  They can create custom reports tailored to their exact needs. "For controlling purposes, we even had some reports custom-made. Over the past ten years, we have learned to work with the system so independently that we can handle many modifications ourselves." 
  
  
• Possibility of efficient shift planning
  The employee ID system at Carborundum Electrite is linked to job roles, qualifications, and work shift eligibility. "For example, temporary workers have an ID number starting with seven, while prisoners have an ID number starting with eight. This way, supervisors can immediately identify the employee and determine which shift they can be assigned to (for example, prisoners can only work two shifts). All of this is clearly displayed in OKbase." 
  
  
• Intuitive interface and user-friendliness 
  Everyone using the system finds it highly intuitive and user-friendly. "For instance, every employee request has a clearly visible workflow, showing its current status—requested, approved, rejected, or canceled. Supervisors have a dashboard displaying key information about their subordinates, such as upcoming expiration dates for occupational safety training, vacation usage, and more," says Slušný. 
  
  
• Easy access for employees 
  On terminals available at all production sites, each employee can view their profile, attendance records, and vacation balance using their assigned ID number. "It may seem like a small thing, but for production workers who don’t have access to a computer or a smartphone to check their data, this is very important," explains Slušný.
  
  
• Reliable user support
  This is one of the most praised aspects. "We communicate with both developers and the sales department. Whenever we need help, we call the hotline, where we always receive helpful assistance. We are extremely satisfied with user support, both on the IT side and for payroll processing." 
  
  
• Continuous system development
  „We appreciate that the system is constantly evolving, introducing new features that not only comply with legislative changes but also meet our current needs.“

 

What are Carborundum's future plans for HR management?

„"We would like to migrate OKbase to the cloud under OKsystem's management. Cloud-based access for third parties will be easier while remaining secure, and system updates will be automatic. I would also like to communicate directly with the Czech Social Security Administration from OKbase (note from the interviewer: this refers to the eSubmission (e-Podání) feature). I hope the time will soon come when we can simply use the software without having to worry about its operation, thanks to the cloud," concludes Vladimír Slušný.

Are you interested in experiences with OKbase from other well-established companies? Check out more success stories: 

…from the manufacturing company Aperam

…from the researchers at Eli ERIC

…from the manufacturing company Toyoda Gosei Czech

... from manufacturing company KOVONA SYSTEM

…or from top service provider Rohlik.cz – watch the video and presentation on how they gradually digitalized their HR processes.